Clearing is where students who fail to meet their university offers are matched with vacant courses.

Last year, 47,000 applicants secured places in clearing. David Willetts, the universities minister, has said this could fall to 40,000 this year.

However, Ucas estimates that half of all students eligible to be in clearing may not have good enough grades to win any place.

Some 425,487 students have been accepted on to courses – up 10,416 on this time last year.

A further 61,737 are waiting for a university to decide whether to offer them a place or are appealing against their grades.

Mary Curnock Cook, chief executive of Ucas, said on Friday that students with good grades should apply again next year. "You don't have the agonising wait until August. You will have an unconditional offer, which you may well have before Christmas."

There were more than 684,000 applicants this year, a 1.3% rise on last year.